As an insurance claims adjuster, I am sick and tired of the number of illegal immigrants who are breaking both our immigration laws and our motor vehicle laws. It is far too common for me to investigate accidents caused by illegal immigrants who are driving without driver's licenses or insurance.

Minnesota now mourns the deaths of four of our state's precious children who died because an illegal immigrant with no driver's license sped toward an intersection and blew a stop sign before crashing into a school bus.

The blood of these children (and the hundreds of people hurt and killed by illegal immigrants on our nation's roadways every year) are upon the hands of our do-nothing politicians as well as those opposed to immigration reform.

How many more of our children must die or be maimed upon our nation's roadways because of unlicensed, uninsured and reckless illegal immigrants?

CORBY PELTO, PLYMOUTH

The politics of tragedy and opinion writing Nick Coleman's Feb. 25 column lecturing people not to rush to judgment and shamelessly "politicize" the Cottonwood bus tragedy is unbelievably hypocritical.

While I agree with his premise, Coleman is the last person who should be making this argument. This is the same man who the day after the Interstate 35W bridge collapse wrote a scathing article casting blame and politicizing the tragedy to fit his politics. This is certainly an example of the pot calling the kettle black!

PAUL NIEBELING, WOODBURY

The difference a driver's license makes The school bus accident in Cottonwood last week is searingly sad. If the van driver is found to be negligent she should be punished as the law allows.

It appears that the driver was one of the 75,000 illegal immigrants who work in Minnesota's agribusiness, factory and service industries. She drove to work.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty strongly opposes granting driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. He would punish those who qualify for licenses by using the license databases to track them down for deportation.

This anti-immigrant policy is anti public safety. It means that people drive without vision or medical checks and without driver's education and without insurance. There is no reason for insurance companies to push impaired drivers to education or better behavior. As William Finney, former St. Paul Police chief put it in 2004, "Drivers who have lawfully obtained a Minnesota driver's license have met a minimum standard of knowledge and practice. Let us use this as a benchmark for obtaining a license instead of legal status."

Four children are dead. Many hearts are broken. And the claim that we did not reward the "illegals" with driver's licenses tastes like ash.

STEVEN MILES, MINNEAPOLIS

Don't compromise on FISA I agree completely with President Bush that there should be "no compromise" on the extension of the FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) wiretap bill and any provisions for immunity from prosecution for telecom companies who knowingly broke the law at his behest. I sincerely hope that the House of Representatives takes his advice and absolutely refuses to pass anything nearly so disgraceful as the bill passed in the Senate -- the bill which Bush wants.

The notion of "telecom immunity" is an interesting one. If the Bush administration had obeyed the perfectly adequate FISA wiretap laws passed by Congress in the 1970s (and amended after 9/11 to give greater flexibility and acknowledge new technologies) no question of law-breaking or the need for "immunity" would exist. Instead, the Bush administration is now demanding what amounts to immunity for itself from any effort to shed light on the extent of and the manner in which it broke federal wiretap laws and abused executive power.

Bush's argument is essentially that "the president knows best" and must be trusted in all things, but the Constitution is designed to provide a government of laws and not of men. This simple principle is indeed one for which no compromise should be made.

BARRY TRENT, CHANHASSEN

Slicing and dissing the electorate Every time I hear a politician or his or her staff make a reference such as "Joe Six-Pack" I realize how little respect they have for the people they supposedly represent.

JAMES P. O'REILLY, BELLE PLAINE